The art world springs to life

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A new issue of Cassone is on its way - meanwhile, don't miss our Art News pages, updated regularly.

October, and autumn is now upon us in the northern hemisphere. As nature here gets ready for its winter sleep the art world appears to be in reverse, as the theme of this issue is refurbishment and new beginnings, as so many art galleries undergo radical improvement programmes. So it’s spring for us here too, in a way, as well as for our readers in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Earlier this year, Henry Matthews visited the Herakleion Archaeological Museum on Crete, recently reopened after considerable refurbishment. Here the world of the legendary Theseus, killer of the half-man, half-bull  Minotaur is vividly brought to life.

In New York, the 'naughty nineties' – the 1890s that is – are being revisited in the form of Henry Toulouse-Lautrec's posters. MoMA has quite a collection of these and is displaying them together. Quite a treat - never before had the advertising poster been such a work of art in its own right. Stephen Bury reports for Cassone.

In London, Rosalind Ormiston visited the Great Gallery at the Wallace Collection, which was last refurbished 35 years ago and has undergone a face lift, including removal of the suspended ceiling to allow light – both natural and from LEDs – to flood the viewing space. This is the gallery that Kenneth Clark called ‘the greatest picture house in Europe’ so do not miss it!

The British Museum's great winter show is an intriguing look at the world of the Ming emperors of China. Jeannie Labno reports on the exhibition while Louis Byrne delves into its very substantial catalogue.

Jenny Kingsley tells us of the House of Illustration, a new museum in London’s revitalized King’s Cross area, and points out that 'Nowadays fine art is not unquestionably at the helm of artistic endeavour' as  many museums and galleries are now featuring applied art. The new House of Illustration, which ‘aims to be an ambassador for illustration’, is the first one established for that purpose.

Vivien Northcote tells us about the Wilson, in the Regency town of Cheltenham Spa and one of the first museums to have the foresight to exhibit Rodin’s The Kiss when the bourgeoisie of Lewes in East Sussex said it was too erotic to be exhibited in their town, the place for which it had originally been commissioned. The Wilson now has two improved galleries in the original Victorian  building, one in the Arts and Crafts style and a new gallery which infills the space in a way that complements not only the old museum buildings, but the street as well.

Philip Vann has written on the relatively unknown British artist William Town, some of whose work has recently come to light when a scrap book of his work was found at a car boot sale. These things really happen.

Meanwhile Maria Photiou went to Nottingham Contemporary to see the work of 96-year-old Carol Rama, who is based in Turin. The exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary precedes a large touring retrospective of Carol Rama’s innovative work. This tour has been initiated by MACBA in Barcelona and co-produced with the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Espoo Museum of Modern Art in Finland and the Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Torino (GAM) – a truly international event.

 For our interview this month Cassone talks to the young Estonian artist Liis Koger, a painter and poet based in Talin who hopes her work makes people happy.

If you cannot get to any of the shows covered in this issue, art is always available through the medium of books. Art books are often amongst the most beautiful you can buy and (dare I say it) it’s a time of year when many of us start thinking about Christmas presents. So take a look at our selection and see if there is anything you can treat a friend to this Christmas – or drop a hint for them to treat you! Julian Freeman recommends a new book in which Irish writers pick their favourite works from the National Gallery of Ireland, while Katie Campbell discovers a lavishly illustrated volume that will appeal to anyone interested in Ottoman culture, Orientalism or 18th-century decorative arts.

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Cassone – ca-soh-neh – the elaborately  decorated chest that a wealthy Italian bride of the Renaissance period used to hold her trousseau: a box of beautiful things.